Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 July 2016
390. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost to the Exchequer of reinstating the household benefits package, including the telephone allowance, to all recipients of carer's allowance and carer's benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20843/16]
View answerThe household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. Widows and widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of the household benefits package retain that entitlement. My Department will spend approximately €227 million this year on the household benefits package for over 419,000 customers.
The decision to discontinue the telephone allowance was estimated to provide annual savings of €48 million. These savings meant that my Department was able to retain the other valuable elements of the household benefits package such as the electricity and gas allowance and the television licence.
From 1 April 2012, new applicants in receipt of Carers Allowance who are not living with the person for whom they provide care are no longer entitled to the household benefits package. For those who do reside with the person being cared for, the person being cared for is likely to already have an entitlement of their own to household benefits.
My Department does not keep statistics on the number of carers/carees who are living separately/together whose claims were from April 2012 onwards, and this along with the fact that the person being cared for is likely to have an entitlement of their own to household benefits, means that an accurate cost to the exchequer cannot be provided. It should be noted however, that, as this change only affects claims from April 2012, the total cost of reversing it would rise relatively quickly.
Any decision to restore household benefits including the telephone allowance to all recipients of carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
